Nintendo ‘Inclined’ to Do What It Can for Cross-Play Support

Nintendo will do what it can to help video game studios and publishers build cross-platform play support for their titles on the Switch, its executives said during Nintendo’s annual shareholders meeting in Kyoto.

Responding to a question put forward by an attendee, about Nintendo’s relationship with publishers and its initiatives for multi-platform titles, senior executive officer Susumu Tanaka said:

“Cross-play basically comes about from conversations between publishers and platform holders. We are inclined to do what we can to help publishers incorporate cross-play when that is what they want. The other parties involved also have a say in whether we are able to reach this outcome or not, so we will continue to discuss it with them.”

Tanaka’s reply is cognizant of the restrictions placed by “other parties” – a reference to hardware makers such as Sony and Microsoft – in being able to offer full cross-platform play support. But this is still encouraging and yet another boost for cross-platform play support in recent weeks from companies that aren’t named Sony.

While Sony continues to have the dominant position in the console market with the PS4, it’s clear that Nintendo and Microsoft are truly catering to people needs and requests. Whether they would still honour this if the tables were turned is up for a hypothetical debate.

During the shareholders meeting, Nintendo executives also repeatedly emphasised its goal to sell 20 million Switch units and 100 million Switch games in the fiscal year ending March 2019.

Nintendo is also heavily focused on indie titles, Tanaka said in response to a later question, and plans to ramp up to release 20 to 30 indie games per week on the Switch in the future.